Allen Iverson Back with Larry Brown
Could the Charlotte Bobcats and Iverson be a Good Fit?
Jun 28, 2009
Born in Hampton, Virginia on June 7, 1975, Allen Iverson has never been one to back away from a challenge. His life and especially his athletic skills are as unique and rarely seen as is his last name.
Early Days for Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson is the son of Ann Iverson and Allen Broughton. From the start, he was set on making it in football. While he attended Hampton’s Bethel High School, he played quarterback. His style of play was reminiscent of the former Atlanta Falcons standout, Michael Vick, another talented athlete born and raised in the Hampton/Newport News, Virginia area.
Under Iverson’s quarterbacking skills, Bethel went on to win the state championship. At the same time that he excelled at football, Allen also played basketball for the high school. Controversy found the basketball standout early. An incident at a bowling alley in Hampton caused him to serve four months in a correctional facility. After he was released from Newport News City Farm and thanks to his mother Ann’s resourcefulness, Allen got the chance to play for John Thompson, head coach for Georgetown and one of the leading collegiate coaches in America.
Allen Iverson at Georgetown University
It was during this period that Allen Iverson’s basketball talent and fierce resilience was revealed on a larger scale. Despite heckling and animosity from some fans, Allen stayed focused and went on to win two defensive player of the year awards. Diminutive in stature and often the smallest guy on the court, his athleticism was impressive.
Family financial matters pressing, Allen left Georgetown early and entered the 1996 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft. Pat Croce, then president of the Philadelphia 76ers, could not have been happier. The 76ers nabbed Iverson as the number one pick in the first round of the 1996 draft. It proved to be a turning point in the team’s comeback after Charles Barkley exited to play for the Phoenix Suns four years earlier.
The Philadelphia 76ers Answer
The first year that Allen Iverson played for the Philadelphia 76ers, he earned league Rookie of the Year honors, but the team was failing. Pat Croce and Ed Snider made changes. They gave John Lucas his walking papers and brought in Larry Brown, pulling him away from his head coaching spot with the Indiana Pacers.
Allen Iverson and Larry Brown’s relationship was with conflict and struggle. Iverson came off as a highly talented and skilled basketball player who forgot that he had four teammates to engage in the game. Fearless and driven to win, Iverson gave Larry Brown his fair share of head shaking and eye rolling experiences as a coach. The two stepped on each other’s feet enough times to give pause to the question as to whether they could ever work together successfully.
Then the year 2000 rolled in and Allen Iverson and Larry Brown learned how to make it work. By that season’s end, Allen had earned honors as the league’s Most Valuable Player. He averaged an impressive 31.1 points per game and took the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals. The 76ers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers with their two-headed beast of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, but Allen Iverson had proven himself.
What Does the Future Hold for Allen Iverson
In 2006, ten years after he joined the team, the unthinkable happened and Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers parted ways. Allen was traded to the Denver Nuggets where he joined Carmelo Anthony, one of the league’s best offensive men. That pairing didn’t last all of two years. November 2008 Allen Iverson was traded again, this time to the Detroit Pistons. On paper it seemed like a sure fit, but on the court the trade simply did not fit. Allen spent the remainder of the 2008-2009 NBA season coming off the bench then later staying away from the Pistons’ games due to a back injury.
As teams gear up for the 2009-2010 NBA season, the idea of Allen Iverson and coach Larry Brown pairing up again at the Charlotte Bobcats, where Brown is head coach, is becoming more attractive. Like a couple who can’t always get along but who are much better together than apart, Iverson and Brown seem well suited. Time will tell whether the Charlotte Bobcats’ executive management and owners, Michael Jordan and Bob Johnson (who might be on his to other ventures) will bring the duo together again so that fans can watch while they give their best effort, Iverson and Brown, to lead a team to another winning regular and playoff season.
Also see: Akron, Ohio's LeBron James article.
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